Larger Catechism – Day 29 of Lent
Question 55: How
does Christ intercede?
Answer: Christ intercedes by continually appearing in our human nature
before the Father in heaven. There he makes his will clear that his own merit
of obedience and sacrifice on earth be applied to all believers; he answers all
the accusations against believers and makes sure they have peace of conscience,
in spite of their daily failings; and he welcomes them without hesitation to
the throne of grace and accepts who they are and what they do for him.
The answer to question 55 of the Larger Catechism makes it clear
that Jesus “continually” appears before the Father on our behalf. Jesus said that he would never leave us or
forsake us. Jesus keeps that promise to
us by his appearing before the Father on our behalf. It is in the presence of the Father that he
applies his sacrifice and obedience here on earth to us.
I am a regular at Starbucks.
“My” drink is an iced, decaf, venti, Americano, four Splendas and extra
cream. I have given up my Starbuck’s
Americano for Lent. Only one week to go! Most of the time I go through the drive thru
window. When I stop at Starbucks on a
Sunday morning on my way to church I will pay for the drink of the person in
the car behind me. As I get to the
window to pay for my drink I tell them I would like to cover the cost of the
drink for the car behind me. My
sacrifice (money) is applied to their bill!
I do not do this as a “pay-it-forward” type of thing. My sacrifice applies only to them. They are not obligated to pay for the person
after them.
Jesus applies his own merit of obedience and sacrifice to
us. He gives it to us freely. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it.
If Satan makes accusations against us (like he did Job) Jesus
answers all accusations. He reminds
Satan and us that he has covered the cost for those failings (sins)—even if
those failing are daily!
Yesterday I watched some of the “March Madness” (following my
post sermon nap). The fans were cheering
for their favorite team. Those cheers
were meant to encourage the players to do their best and to keep on trying.
Jesus is your and my greatest fan! He cheers for us. He encourages us. He wants us to keep living for him and giving
him our very best.
No comments:
Post a Comment